Rail-joint.



J. ZAHURANEC.

RAIL JOINT.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT-15, I916- Patented June 5, 1917.

3 SHEETSSHEET l.

J. ZAHURANEC.

RML JOINT.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 15. 1916.

1322930 95 Patented June 5, 1917.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2-.

Fig.9. j Fig.10. v 7

J, ZAHURANEC.

RAIL JOINT.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. t5, 1916.

Patented June 5, 1917.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

vention applied to the end portions of ad- 'rn earns RAIL-JOINT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 5, 1917.

Application filed September 15, 1916. Serial No. 120,267.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it knownthat 1, JOHN ZAHURANEC, subject of the King of Hungary, residing at Newcomer, in the county of Fayette and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rail- Joints, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in rail joints.

The primary object of this invention is the provision of. a readily releasable joining means for railway rails adapted for use without the employment of the usual boltsecuring fish plates.

A further object'of the device is the provision of a rail joint having wedge control ling locking means for the adjacent ends of railway rails whereby the rails may be readily secured in their operative positions in alinement with each other, and thereafter easily released.

lVith these general objects in view and others that will appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, .the same consists in the novel combination and ar- 1 application and in which like designating characters refer to corresponding parts throughout the several v1ews:

Figure 1 1s a slde elevatlon of the 1njacent rails.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view thereof.

Fig. 3 is an elevational. view at the opposite side of the rail joint from that illustrated in Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a horizontal longitudinal sectional view taken upon line IVIV of Fig. 1.

Figs. 5, 6 and 7 are vertical transverse sectional views taken upon lines V-V,

VL-VI and "VII-VII Fig. 1.

Figs. 8, 9 and 10 are enlarged detail sec tional views of a releasable locking pawl respectively of provided for the retaining wedge strip.

Fig. 11 is a perspective view of the main mounting plate member of the device broken away.

Fig. 12 is a perspective view of the bolt socket platei a Fig. 13 is a perspective view of the retaining wedge strip. I

Fig. 14: is an inverted perspective view of the bolt socket plate shown in Fig. 12, and

Fig. 15 is one of the locking pawls detached employed with the socket plate.

The present device being designed for detachably securing together the adjacent ends of any form of railway rails, the same is herein illustrated in connection with the adjacent end portions of rails 10 and 11 mounted upon cross ties 12, the said rails having the usual tread portions 13, base flanges 14 and connecting webs 15.

The invention contemplates the provision of a main securing plate 16 having a longitudinal side portion 17 for engaging the webs 15 of the adjacent rails upon one side thereof, while a plain fish plate 18 is positioned in juxtaposed relation thereto at the opposite side of the rails. The securing plate 16 has a longitudinal notch 19 adjacent the top thereof for engaging beneath the rail treads 13, while said securing plate has an extended base flange 20 adapted to be secured to the ties 12 by means of two spikes 21 and overlying the adjacent base flanges 14: of the rails and having a longitudinal cut-away portion 22 for accommodating said rail flanges. I

Securing bolts or pins 23 are transversely arranged through perforations 24: in the fish plate 18 and through alining perforations 25 in the rail webs 15, the said pins having outwardly flaring frusto-conical free end por tions 26 which are received within similar conical sockets 27 carried by a flange 28 upon the securing plate 16 and beneath the longitudinal'top tread portion 29.

The side of the securing plate 16 that is exposed outermost when operatively positioned has integral strengthening ribs 30 arranged thereon in spaced relations, while mounting bases 31 are integrally formed upon the upper surface of the securing plate base flange 20 between the adjacent ribs 30 thereof, said bases 31 inclining slightly upwardly toward the open side 32 thereof and having vertically arranged posts 33 mounted upon the opposite ends of the bases 31 at their rear corners adjacent the securing plate opening 32, and thereby connecting the bases 31 with the ends of the adjacent flange 28 arranged thereabove.

When the pins 23 are arranged in posi tion as heretofore described, the bolt socket ing similar circular spaced sockets 35 there- I in are flatly positioned beneath the flanges 28 with the sockets 35 thereof engaged'be' 25 of the rail webs being utilized and no mutilation or special construction of the ends of the rails being required. 7

While the form of the invention herein shown and describedis what is believed to neath the pins 23 as best illustrated'inFigs. be the preferred embodiment thereof, it is 5, 6 and 7 of the drawings. A wedge strip 36 is slidably positioned upon the adjacent mounting base 31 beneath each of the socket plates 34 and is driven inwardly therebeneath until the reduced forward edge 37 thereof substantially engages the adjacent face of the rail tread 15 and at which time the afore-mentioned'posts 33 are received within corner notches 38 of the retaining strip 36, it being understood that the socket plate 34 has its corner notches 39 also positioned in receiving engagement with the posts 33 when so operatively arranged.

Locking pawls 40 are pivotally mounted within recesses 41 in the lower sides of the socket plates 34 and have sharpened fingers 42 normally projected by means of springs 43 into the path of travel of a plurality of longitudinally arranged teeth 44 in the upper or adjacent face of the wedge strips 36 and whereby as will be evident, theretaining wedge strips 36 will ratchet over the pawl fingers 42 during the operative positioning of the said strip which will thereby be automatically locked when operatively positioned, thus wedging the socket plates 34 in their fir seating engagementwith the pin portions 26.

The socket plates 34 are provided with openings 45 in their forward side through which a sharpened instrument such as the tool 46 may be inserted for engaging a tapered surface 47 of the pawl 40 for releasing the pawl finger 42 and at which times the wedge strip 36 may be forcibly removed. 'A

bar'48 is providedfor advantageously re-' moving the wedge strip 36, the same being arranged for engaging. the pointed end of the bar within the depressions 49 of the" wedge strip 36 and within edge notches49 of the socket plate 34 and whereby the strip may be forced outwardly upon its base31 as best illustrated in Fig. 5 of the drawings, it being understood that a tool 46 is to remain .in position, releasing the pawls 40 of the adjacent socket plate 34. When theelements. are operatively arranged in their joint-forming relations, retaining pins 50 may be positioned within the holes 51 of a central enlargement of the mounting base 31 one of the. said pins 50 extending through a perforation 53 in a central enlargement 54 of the adjacent wedge strip 36, while other, of the said pins engage marginal notches 55 in the said strip enlargement.

. Itv will thus be apparent that by the employment of the present. devices, rails of the usual form may be readily locked together and easily released, the usual bolt openings nevertheless to be understood that minor .changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

What I claim as new is 1. A device of the class described comprising in combination with rails having perforations therethrough, frusto-conical pins projecting through the said perforations, a securing plate having an open side positioned in contact with the said webs and having depending flanges provided with outwardly flaring semi-circular receiving-sockets overlying the said pins, socket plates having outwardly flaring sockets underlying the said pins and flanges and retaining wedge strips securely positioned beneath the said socket plates.

2. A device of the class described comprising in combination with rails having perforations therethrough, frusto-conical pins projecting through the said perforations, a

securing plate having an open side posithe upper face of'the said wedge strips being provided with toothed portions having paths of movement transversely of the said pawls and releasing means for the said pawls.

3. A oin ng means for rail ends compr1sing a fish plate engaging the webs of said rails at one side thereof, a securing plate having a cut-away tread portion, and en gaging the opposite side of the said webs and having an open side adjacent thereto'and beby the lower facesof the said socket plates, 7

ing further provided with a base flange overlying the adjacent base flanges of the said rail ends, depending'flanges carried by. the said securing plate and having outwardly flaring receiving sockets terminating at the said open side of the said plate, headed securing pins extending through the said fish plate and rail webs and having frusto-conical portions projecting through the opening of the said securing plate and positioned within the said flange sockets, and retaining means for the said pins removably carried by the said securing plate.

4. A joining'means for rail ends comprising a fish vplate engaging the webs of said A rails at one side thereof, a securing plate having a cut-away tread portion, and engaging the opposite side of the said webs and having an open side adjacent thereto and being further provided with a base flange overlying the adjacent base flanges of the said rail ends, depending flanges carried by the said securing plate and having outwardly flaring receiving sockets terminating at the open side of the said plate, headed securing pins extending through the said fish plate and rail webs and having frusto-conical portions projecting through the opening of the said securing plate and positioned within the said flange sockets, outwardly arranged spaced strengthening ribs upon the said securing plate, the said securing plate being provided with a mounting base having a central enlargement arranged between the said ribs and inclined upwardly toward the said open side of the securing plate, corner posts carried by the said mounting base and connecting with the said securing plate, flanges marginally of the open side of the said securing plate, and a retaining plate and a strip for the said pins remoi ably mounted upon the said faces.

5. A joining means for rail ends comprising a fish plate engaging the webs of said rails at one side thereof, a securing plate having a cut-away tread portion, and engaging the opposite side of the said webs and having an open side adjacent thereto and being further provided with a base flange overlying *the adjacent base flanges of the said rail ends, depending flanges carried by the said securing plate and having outwardly flaring receiving sockets terminating at the open side of the said plate, headed securing pins extending through the said fish plate and rail webs and having frusto-conical portions projecting through the opening of the said securing plate and positioned Within the said flange sockets, outwardly arranged spaced strengthening ribs upon the said securing plate, the said securing plate being provided with a mounting base having a central enlargement arranged between the said ribs and inclined upwardly toward the said open side of the securing plate, corner posts carried by the said mounting bases and connected to the said securing plate, a socket plate positioned between the said ribs and beneath the-said flanges and arranged with receiving sockets for the said pins at points beneath the sockets of the said flanges and having end notched portions in abutting engagement with the said posts, a tapered wedge strip flatly positioned upon the said base beneath the said socket plate and having corner notches in engagement with the said posts when the device is operatively p0- sitioned, and automatic locking means between the said socket plate and wedge strip.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

JOHN ZAHURANEC.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

